13 days after it was opened with a ceremonial tee shot from Tiger Woods, we were teeing it up at The Park. A brand new, PUBLIC, Gil Hanse design that was rumored to be a magical blend of Seminole Golf Club and the Sandbelt courses of Melbourne, Australia.
To say we were excited would be an understatement. For the three of us playing, it was our first time playing a Gil Hanse course outside of Pinehurst’s The Cradle.
We arrived in West Palm on the evening of Thursday, April 27 and proceeded to get into some beers and sing karaoke at a divey music bar called Respectable Street. Our tee time was booked for the Sunday morning of April 30, so we had some time to kill.
Waking up a little steamy and with no plans for our Friday we got a little sunburnt on the beach and then decided to go to The Park to just see it and hang out. We were surprised to learn there is a 9 hole par 3 course, The Yeti, along with a 9 hole putting course. So, we grabbed our lob wedges and putters and for $20 had the most fun afternoon a golfer could’ve asked for.
By the time Sunday morning rolled around the notorious Florida weather was rearing its ugly head. We woke up to our phones alarming us that our area was under a tornado warning. Nonetheless, we were determined to play The Park. We arrived well in advance of our 10:30am scheduled tee time to learn the course was closed until noon that day. Luckily, a spot at 1:30pm for 3 was available due to cancellations. We snagged that time and watched the storm pass by eating empanadas at a Cuban restaurant down the road.
As the tee time approached we hit a couple balls on the range and it was clear this round would be a grind. The rain had stopped, but felt like the tornado had not. Flushed 5 irons seemed to carry 120 yards straight into the wind, but it was our time to throw the bag on the shoulder and put the peg in the ground.
The first is a wide open par 5 that meanders left and was directly into a stiff wind coming from the southwest. I can imagine it’s an easy start in normal conditions. Then, like many holes at The Park, the second turns you around heading back towards the previous hole’s tee box. This made the round extremely fun on a very windy day. The constant back and forth of hitting into the wind and then hitting down wind made us consider every club in the bag on any 3 hole stretch.
A lovely mix of short and long par 3’s, reachable and 3 shot par 5’s, and even a driveable par 4 on the 16th hole make this course an enjoyable walk and a true test of your entire golf game.
The 18th is another wide open par 5 that we played straight down wind, lending a great opportunity to end your round with a birdie as you stroll towards onlookers at the open air cabana and lounge behind the 18th green.
After what felt like a heavyweight fight in a consistent 40 mph breeze it was still a round we did not want to end. A course where it’s almost impossible to lose a ball and one that is easy to get back into position for a par or bogey saving scramble, it’s the type of course that will have you wanting to come back every single day to see if you can better your score from last time.
The most amazing part is that anyone can play this course every single day. A truly open and public golf course that looks like and is taken care of like a private club. A gem for West Palm and anyone who loves golf all across the globe.
- Single Fin
